


koi

by akaashitrnt



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Karasuno, Romance, Self-Insert, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Sports, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27989751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akaashitrnt/pseuds/akaashitrnt
Summary: Y/N, an extremely intelligent and skilled volleyball player quits volleyball after a traumatic life event. After moving to Karasuno, she begins to play again and meets a certain boy. Can he help her move on and become a happy person again? Can she help him learn what it means to love?
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio/Reader, Oikawa Tooru/Reader
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

BZZ BZZ BZZ

‘ _5:45, it’s too damn early for this_ ’ you think as a groan and roll off the bed. You lay on the floor, checking your phone for about five minutes until hearing the front door close.

Your father had just left for work, which is usually your cue to get up for the day. You stumble downstairs and find a note on the fridge. ‘Working late again tonight, left some money on the counter to buy groceries for dinner tonight’. You sigh as you open the fridge and grab your coffee (it’s cold brew), making a mental list of groceries to buy after school. Ever since moving to Miyagi, your father is almost always working late. You don’t blame him but you know how sad it makes the other kids and even though you would never admit it to yourself, deep down, you miss seeing him too.

After downing your drink, you walk back upstairs, quickly checking to see if the kids were up. After discovering them to still be asleep, you head to your room to get dressed. After putting on a pair of leggings, a sports bra, and a long sleeve dri-fit shirt, you then toss your hair in a messy bun. It’s not too cold (about 40 degrees) since it’s now spring, so you don’t bother with a jacket. You slip on some tennis shoes, put in your earbuds, and head out the door for your morning run.

The time reads 6:15. You run around the neighborhood for about an hour. Since you’re new to the area, it’s your way to learn your way around. Towards the end of your run, you head to a nearby park. The park is pretty big and has a koi fish pond secluded away from the rest of it. The pond is usually empty this early in the morning, so you typically go and eat your breakfast there and clear your head each morning. It wasn’t raining the previous night so the ground is dry causing you to opt towards sitting on the small deck hanging over the edge over the pond instead of the covered bench. You sit down and pull out a granola bar, snacking on it while basking in the morning glow. Despite it still being pretty chilly, the heat from the rising sun and exercise keeps you warm enough. Staring into the pond, you notice one of the koi fish swimming out into the middle of the pond. “Three..” you whisper, counting down. Once you reach zero, another koi fish begins to circle the other, with a handful of small fish following. You can’t but smile seeing the fish as their orange spots glow in the golden light, making even the smallest of them shine as they flow together. It’s truly beautiful and is the reason you stop here every morning.

**?? POV**

As I was going on my morning run around the neighborhood park, I accidentally took the wrong turn and started taking the longer path, however, noticing too late. “Shit, I’m going to be late to practice” I mumbled, shortly after noticing a small path that leads through the trees. _‘Maybe this will be a short cut’_ I think, turning onto the small, secluded path. After running for a couple of minutes, I began to hear the faint trickling of water.

About 100 meters ahead, the path opened into a pond, with a small covered bench. The pond had a small waterfall that calmly trickled into it surrounded by mossy stones. The water, despite the poor weather, was still a warm teal and had about ten lily pads floating around. The pond sat under a large tree, blooming with cherry blossoms. After looking around for a moment I notice someone, a girl, sitting at the edge of the pond. They don’t seem to notice me though, so I stand still for a moment. She’s eating a granola bar, and just staring at the water. I can’t help but notice how the morning light makes her golden hair shine, and her fair skin glow. ‘ _She looks… like an angel…_ ’.

Staring at her mesmerized, I noticed her close her eyes and begin mouthing something, almost as if she was counting down to something. As she stopped, she opened her eyes and a smile grew on her face. I looked over and noticed all of the new koi fish swimming around the pond. ‘How.. did she know’ I pondered, shifting my gaze back at her. After a moment, she began to stand up, brushing off her pants and putting in her earbuds. Her smile had faded back into her straight, seemingly plain face. She turned around, not seeing me, and began to run the rest of the path.

_‘She’s… running? I’ve never seen anyone else out running at this hour, let alone a girl_ ’. I watch her for a moment before starting to run, letting her gain some distance. Once I reached the end of the path, I realized it had come out only a few blocks from the school, making it faster than my normal route. I checked the time. It’s 7 sharp. ‘I guess I won’t be late after all’. Out of curiosity, I turn my head looking for the girl. She’s gone, completely out of sight. I never particularly have cared about girls in the past, so I’m not sure why I’m so curious.

_‘Who is this girl?’_


	2. Chapter 2

After about an hour, you finally get back home from your run. As you open the door, you find the twins sitting on the couch, their eyes glued to the TV watching Pokemon. “Have you two eaten breakfast yet?” you ask them with an accusatory tone while taking off your running shoes. 

The blue-eyed pair look at each other before the brunette boy responds. “Not yet, the eggs went bad…” he said quietly, in a slightly sad tone. “But can we please keep watching, pleaseeee” he begs with puppy dog eyes, the blonde sister joining along. Your father has a rule to be dressed and has to eat breakfast before cartoons, but you usually let it slide. 

“Fine, but you better be ready to leave by 8. There are some bagels and juice in the fridge you guys can have while you watch your show” you reply, adding eggs to your mental grocery list. 

The 10-year-olds faces light up with joy. “YAY THANK YOU SISSY! WE PROMISE WE WIlL BE READY!” they yelled as they run up to you, wrapping their arms around your waist. You faintly smile and the two, patting them both on the head before they run back to the couch. You head upstairs and get ready for the day. You take a shower, brush your teeth, and put on your school uniform. You don’t put too much effort into your appearance, but do the simple things that make you feel less self-conscious. You have pretty dewy and fair skin, so you don’t wear much makeup. Just a bit of concealer to cover your dark circles, and mascara. You take your long curly hair and half of it in a ribbon to keep it out of your face. You finish packing up your bag when you get a text.

From: Sato Chizuru 

_Good morning l/n! Just reminding you today is the girl’s volleyball tryouts! Hope you decide to join._

_‘Damn, I forgot about that, I guess I’ll see if Tooru can pick up the twins today since it’s Monday after all’._ After grabbing a pair of volleyball shorts and a long sleeve, you pick up your volleyball shoes from out of your closet. You haven’t worn them in months, the laces still being tied from the last time. You sigh at the thought of playing again, but you promised Tooru you would at least try. You grab a roll of compression bandages while texting the boy in question.

To: Oikawa Tooru

_If you aren’t busy, can you walk the twins home from school, please? Something came up._

You walk downstairs to find the two kids, sitting on the floor, dressed in their uniforms arguing over which Pokemon is cooler than the other. You walk to the fridge and grab three bento boxes, noticing the juice was all gone. You faintly smiled knowing the two had listened, making sure to eat breakfast. You turned around handing each of them a box, signaling them to stop arguing, and put on their shoes. You walk out of the house after making sure all the lights are off and lock the door. As you begin to walk, the twins still arguing about Pokemon, you feel your phone buzz.

From: Oikawa Tooru

_Of course, I can pick them up, it’s Monday after all. See you later._

You sighed in relief. Tooru may be annoying sometimes, but he’s the only thing close to family, or even a friend you have here. Plus the twins love him, I mean he is basically their second older brother. “Hey you two,” they turn their heads looking at you. “First of all, Charmander is way cooler than Bulbasaur and Squirtle,” you state. As they begin to protest, you cut them off “And Tooru-san is going to walk you home today”. The two look at each other with glowing eyes. “YAY TOORU!” they yell in unison. They both excitedly banter about which Pokemon he will like the most as we finish walking to school. The sight of the two makes you chuckle. As you approach the gate of their school you pat their heads and send them off. Watching the two walk away makes you anxious, especially knowing you won’t see them till late tonight. It pains your heart thinking about being apart from them, which is why you walk them to and from school every day, especially when your father works late.

\---

You finish walking to school and head to your class, 3-5. As you take your seat, you hear a loud girl running down the hall, about to come into the room. You sigh as the girl sits in the seat next to you, practically out of breath. “L/N DID YOU GET MY MESSAGE?” the girl asks. You nod. “Are you coming today then?” she follows, this time, less enthusiastically. You nod again, turning your head towards her. As your cold eyes align with hers, she begins to tear up. “Really!? I- I’m so happy” she exclaims as she burst into tears. She turns around looking towards a boy in the back of the class. “Sugawara did you hear that! L/n is gonna join!” she yells excitingly, embracing him as she runs his way. Sugawara looks at you, and you turn your head back towards the window.

“Hmm looks like even mama-bear over here gets the cold shoulder from her, huh” his best friend nudges him as the gray-haired boy looks back at the crying girl in his arms, almost disappointed.

The bell rings and everyone returns to their seats, including the previously crying Chizuru who has a big smile on her face. 

**??? POV**

Practice had just ended and I was taking off my shoes when that stupid tangerine jumped on me yelling. “Kageyama” he whined. “Why were your tosses off today? I could barely hit any of them”.

“Boke, maybe you just suck” I replied aggressively.

“He’s right. Your tosses were a bit off compared to normal, your serves too” Suga added.

“Hm guess the king isn’t so perfect then” 

“Tsukki that’s mean” the green-headed boy scolded as I shot four-eyes an ice-cold glare.

“Are you thinking about something? What are you thinking about?” Hinata poked.

“Nothing” I lied. I can’t stop thinking about the girl at the pond. _‘Not that I like her or anything, I don’t even know her. There is just something about her_ ’. Unconsciously, a faint pink begins to creep on my creeps.

“You liar. Why is your face getting pink then?” Hinata pushes more.

“Shut up, Boke!” I yell as I stand up and throw a ball at the tangerines head.

“Kageyama!!” the boy whines again as you both walk out of the gym and to your class.

As the tangerine bugs me and talks about nothing, I ignore him. The entire time we are in class, I can’t help but think about her. 

_‘Who is she?’_


	3. Chapter 3

It’s now lunch which means you finally get to leave your class. As you collect your things, Chizuru walks to the back of the class to where Sugawara and another boy are sitting. You get up from your desk when you hear Chizuru call you. “See you later l/n-chan!” she smiles, waving. You nod but as you turn your head back to leave, you hear another voice. “L/n!” Suga exclaims. “G-good luck. At your try-outs I mean!”. You make eye contact with him for a moment before turning your head to leave. You couldn’t help but wonder why he would say that, let alone talk to you. You didn’t even know his name. ‘Hmm whatever” you thought to yourself and head outside.

As you walk out the door, a sad expression overcomes Suga’s face. “Does she hate me or something?” he mumbles but loud enough for the two next to him to hear it.

“Don’t worry about her,” Chizuru says lightheartedly. “She doesn’t hate anyone, that’s just how she is. When I first met her, I could barely get her to acknowledge me, but now, I would say we are friends at least.”

“Yeah Suga don’t sweat it, I’m sure the girl is probably just shy,” Daichi said, hoping to cheer him up, although he too wondered why the girl was so cold.

“I guess, I just wanted to wish her luck. She is a first-year after all, it would suck if she didn’t make the team” the third-year said.

“Trust me, she doesn’t need luck” the girl affirms.

“What do you mean? Did she play in middle school?” the two boys question.

“Yeah, you could say that,” the girl responds. “After I met her and asked her if she would be interested in joining the club, she said she used to play but hasn’t in a while. I asked her why and she didn’t answer. So I just kept insisting she tryout until she eventually agreed. Well, kind of. I asked her where she came here from and she said she went to a school in Tokyo. One day, I got curious and looked her up, and let me just say, she’s way better than me, probably you guys too. Hell, probably even your whole team.”

The two boys looked at each other with wide eyes. They weren’t sure if they were more offended or more shocked. “Really?!” they exclaimed?

“How about you guys come swing by our practice today? We only have one other first year, so it’s just going to be a normal practice. You can watch for a bit if you’d like. Maybe have a practice match or something and see for yourself?” Chizuru suggests.

The two nod their heads as they wonder. ‘ _Who is this girl’_.

\---

Due to your schedule, you get released about 30 minutes before all the other students. You decide to head towards the gym early and start getting ready. Once you got there you noticed the net was already being set up by another girl. As you walk in, you set your stuff on the bench. “Excuse me” you start. “Um do you need any help?” you offer. The girl smiles and nods. You notice how pretty she is and the kind aura she provides. You help her put up the net as she begins to talk.

“So you must be l/n?” she asks. “I’m Shimizu Kiyoko, class 3-2. I am the manager for the boy's volleyball club” she bows.

You bow back, slightly curious as to how she knows who you are. “Nice to meet you, Shimizu. I am l/n f/n.” You contemplate telling her your class but figured it’s too much to explain why you’re in a third-year college prep class. “First year. If I may ask, why are you setting up for the girl's team if you’re the boy's manager? And how do you know who I am?”

“Please, call me Kiyoko. And I got a special request from a friend of mine on the girl's team, she suggested you would come early and want to start warming up before everyone else got here. And since I am a manager, I get released a bit early to start on club related work”.

“Oh I see” she’s friends with Chizuru. Kind of surprising given her calming, soft aura compared to Chizuru’s which is probably the exact opposite. “Well thank you for helping set up the net, you really didn’t have to.”

“Don’t worry about it! I have to go finish some other duties now, it was nice meeting you l/n” Kiyoko says as she leaves the gym. 

Now that she is gone, you head into the locker room, getting out of your school uniform. Making sure no one else is in the room, you begin to change. You put on your volleyball spandex, socks, and knee pads. Before putting on a sports bra, you wrap your lower back, shoulders, and upper arms with ace bandage wrap. Then you put on a long sleeve compression shirt, (like the one you wore this morning), making sure everything is covered. You take the ribbon out of your hair and put it in a simple ponytail. Since your hair is so long, it almost reaches your waist. Most girls cut their hair short in order to play, but you liked having long hair and refused to cut it. Eventually, after bargaining with all your coaches, they’d let you keep it long. You put on a black headband to keep the hair out of your face and slip on your court shoes. After getting ready you walk out to the gym, still empty. You check the time and you still have about 10 minutes till people will start heading towards the gym. You start to do your regular warm-up. A couple of laps, some stretches, self passing/setting, and finally serving. 

You set a bottle on the other side of the court, as it helps you practice your aim. Despite not playing for a few months, you’re still as good as ever, though you would never admit that to yourself. You have been so concentrated on your serves you didn’t even hear the bell ring. After a few minutes of serving, a small group of girls all crowded outside of the gym, unaware to you. You give yourself almost the perfect toss, serving the ball, in turn, hit the bottle with so much strength and accuracy, it’s as if Oikawa himself served it. All of the girls stood there in shock.

"W-WOW T-THAT WAS AMAZING!” they all exclaimed in unison. You turn your head, as you were just about to serve another ball, resulting in the ball falling on your head. A few of them giggled as they admired your serve, eventually going into the locker room to change.

The rest of the girls finished changing and came out to begin practice. All of the upperclassmen were wearing the practice t-shirts, similar to the boy's teams, however with short sleeves. This captain had you all gather in a circle and introduce yourselves. You recognized the captain, Michimiya Yui, since she sometimes hung around your class. It was pretty clear, at least to you, that she had a liking towards one of the boys. She is the team’s wing spiker. Then there is Chizuru, the middle blocker, and also the tallest on the team standing at about 177 cm. All of the other girls were anywhere from 155-165 cm, while you’re 171 cm. A moment later, another girl burst through the door. “I’m so sorry I am late, I had cleaning duty” she frantically apologizes as she heavily pants. 

“Don’t worry about it” the captain reassured her. Come sit, we are all about to introduce ourselves”.

The girl sits down next to me as all the upperclassmen introduce themselves. She is clearly a first-year, based on the informalities with the group and the way she carries herself. You can tell she’s nervous, though she is desperately trying hard to cover it. Her fingers twirl through the front of her shoulder-length brown hair and her breath is shaky. The circle comes around to her. She stands up proudly, as her legs wobble. “My name is Ushijima Tohru, but please call me Tohru. I am from class 1-3 and I went to Shiratorizawa, I played as a wing spiker," she announced. 

“Shiratorizawa? That’s a powerhouse school, why did you come here?” A couple of the upperclassmen asked, slightly stunned at the girl's confession.

“Well um..” she mumbles. “My older brother goes to Shiratorizawa and is a big volleyball star there. So I didn’t want to live in his shadow so I came here instead. Plus the uniforms are pretty cute”. The older girls all looked at each other, completely baffled by the girl’s statement.

After a moment, their focus shifts towards you, cueing you to introduce myself. You straighten your posture rather than standing up. “I’m l/n f/n, first year. I went to junior high in Tokyo, and I’m not particularly set on one position” you state. The first-year on your side's eyes glow and her mouth opens wide.

“YOU'RE A FIRST YEAR?” she yells surprised. “BUT YOU'RE SO PRETTY AND CALM AND LAID BACK. YOU DON’T SEEM NERVOUS AT ALL! WHAT CLASS ARE YOU IN?” 

Before you could answer her, you were cut off by Chizuru. “She’s in class 3-4, and is a setter,” she says firmly, making eye contact with you. You wonder how she knows you’re a setter until it hits you. Why else would she keep pressuring a girl she doesn’t even know into joining the volleyball club. She knows. But how much does she know? Your eyes slightly widen as you look at her.

Everyone else around suddenly stares at her confused. She asks for permission using her expression, so you nod skeptically and lean back. “L/n takes the third-year college prep-class the first half of the day, then after lunch tutors the first-year prep kids. Next year she’s going to be taking part-time college courses. She's some super-smart genius or something” Chizuru explains, letting out a faint laugh. “That’s why she should be a setter. She’s good, and smart so she’s perfect for it!” 

You instantly tell that the last part was a lie. You can tell she knows more than she’s letting on to, but you’re grateful she kept it to herself. You shoot her a questioning glance, she nods in return. After everyone finishes their conversations, the captain hands you and Tohru each a practice shirt and ushers you to go change. The other girl returns in a few minutes and you just put the shirt on over the one you’re wearing.

You all line up at the end of the court and begin doing your warmups. The club advisor briefly comes in to check on everyone but it seems there is no coach. The captain starts off practice by doing a few drills. During serve receive, you don’t use your jump serve. It’s clear that most of the girls, apart from the second year libero and the other first-year, aren’t as skilled at receiving. Tohru on the other hand didn’t hold back. Instead of doing a jump serve, she opted for a floater, catching most of the girls off-guard. However, you could tell she was going to float it and aim at you before she even hit the ball. You sent it back with a perfect receive, surprising even the libero. Before you knew it, you were surrounded by Tohru and the libero. 

“THAT WAS TOTALLY AMAZING, L/N!” the two gushed. 

“I don’t even think I could’ve received that!” the libero adds. You stared at them dumbfounded.

“Thanks, I guess? It was a nice serve” you look at the two with your same expressionless face and shrug before resuming your spot on the backline.

“D-did she just compliments Tohru?" Chizuru and the captain ask each other as the girl begins to tear up again.

“AWW L/N-CHAN YOU’RE SO AMAZING!” she yells, tears running down her face as she embraces you from behind. You walked off the court as soon as she let go of you, reaching for your water bottle. You notice most of the water bottles are empty, so you take it upon yourself to go refill them while the other girls start doing hitting lines. As you walk out of the gym, you notice two older boys walking up to the stands. Most of the boy's team was outside doing conditioning. You walk over to the water fountain, fill the dozen or so bottles, and go back to the gym.

\---

Daichi and Suga both said they had to go help the girl's team with their tryouts or something so the rest of us should just do some conditioning or go home for the day. Everyone decided to stay since it’s better than going home and studying. After running a few laps around the school they all sat in the grass in front of the gyms to take a break. After a minute, the short libero speaks up.

“Hey Tanaka, look at that cute girl over there” he nugs the bald second-year.

“Woah she’s totally hot dude. And look what she’s wearing, I wonder if she’s on the volleyball team?” he responds.

“Oh yeah, I bet she is. She looks so cool!” Noya gushes as hearts spew out of his eyes. 

“She’s tall, I wonder if she is a third-year?” Hinata speculates.

“I think she is, I’ve seen her in Daichi and Suga’s class before,'' Ennoshita adds, the majority of the team watching the girl at this point.

They all talk about the girl while Tanaka and Noya daydream about her. Kageyama didn’t really care and stopped listening to them minutes ago, setting the ball to myself when suddenly Hinata jumped on him. “What do you think, Kageyama?” the orange ball asked.

“Hmm?” he responded, having no idea what they were talking about until the second-year duo practically passed out. 

“She looked at us” they praised, practically in tears. Normally he'd be weirded out but he's used to their behavior since it’s typically directed towards Kiyoko. He turned his head to see who they were talking about and saw the girl walking back into the gym.

Noticing her blonde hair, he thought back to the girl he saw this morning. They look like they were about the same height.

_'I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. There is no way it’s her.’_ he thinks, but for some reason can’t look away. The girl briefly turns her face as she reaches for the gym door to close it _._

_‘It can’t be’_ his eyes widening as the gym door shuts.

‘ _There’s no way’_ I quickly stand up, catching the attention of the other members.

“Huh? What are you doing, Kageyama?” the orange boy questions.

Ignoring him, he walks to the gym door and peeks through the window, searching for the blonde girl.

_‘Is it really-_ ’ my eyes landing on the girl and she finishes drinking her water. The same fair skin, the same light eyes, the same golden hair, though styled completely differently. His eyes widened in shock as he takes in the sight before him.

“It’s her”.


	4. Chapter 4

After you return to the gym, you hand everyone their waters, while quickly drinking some yourself. You resume the drill from where the team had left off. They didn’t have an official setter, the captain seeming to be the best of the upperclassmen. She temporarily set for the first few rounds of hitting lines while you observed most of the players as they went through. The other third-years were all pretty decent at hitting, though Chizuru was the only one that stood out. It was almost Tohru’s turn to hit and you could tell she was excited. Based on her serving, it’s a given she’s a strong player. Once she approached the front of the line, the captain gave her a toss that happened to be too long. However, you can tell she wasn’t phased. The captain began frantically apologizing, “Sorry it’s off!”.

“Don’t apologize, she’s gonna get it” you calmly add, causing the older girl to look at you. Within a second, you hear the ball slam on the other side of the court. It was a near perfect cross court shot, so powerful it bounced off the wood floor.

“See” you add, leaving the captain baffled. The other girls all praise the talented hitter for a few moments. Though the first-year brushes it off like it’s not a big deal, you can tell she enjoys the attention.

Before getting back into line she rushes up to you. “L/N-CHAN! What did you think?” she asks excitedly but with a hint of masked nervousness in her eyes. You weren’t sure why she was asking you when she had already gotten so much praise, including from the captain.

“Hm, I’m assuming that's not the best you can do,” you state. The excited look fades from the girl's face into a serious expression, nodding in response. “Well, ask me again when it is your best” you conclude. The girl's eyes begin to sparkle with determination. She shakes her head and quickly returns to the drill. Before you can even breathe, you feel a pull at your wrist.

“Come on L/N, I wanna see you hit too!” the girl exclaims, her previous joyful expression returned. You move your hand from her grip but follow her back to the drill line. A few of the upperclassmen went before it was you and Tohru’s turn. The other first year went before you, hitting this time a line shot. It was just as powerful, if not more than the previous hit. All the other team members gushed about how amazing the wing spiker is.

Then it was your turn. You always liked hitting, it was definitely the most fun position. Plus, the undeniable attention that comes with being a powerful spiker was a bonus. But you never cared about the attention or status that comes with being a hitter, and since you were a setter, you were never praised for your hitting abilities.

The captain called your name to let you know she was finished gushing over the other first year. You nod, cueing that you’re ready. Before you can begin your approach, Chizuru calls out to you. “Back left corner” she says, leaving everyone else confused.

You knew it was a request. Based on the knowledge she has of you as a player, it’s probably a test to see how good your hitting really is. You begin your approach, which caught the girls off guard. A typical approach consists of three steps, but yours consist of four. As the ball begins to reach it’s summit, you jump. So high it leaves everyone in shock, including the two third year boys up in the stands. You slam the ball down at its highest point, causing it the land perfectly in the back left corner. Everyone was so shocked, you could hear the faint sound of the ball rolling along the floor.

As you land on your feet, you begin to kneel under the net to retrieve your ball. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the first year running towards you. Within a second you’re turned around being shaken by the small brunette. Before she can begin yelling at you, you put your hand on her forehead pushing her back a few steps. You turn and grab the ball a few meters from where you’re standing, the girl standing and staring at you wide-eyed.

“L/n-chan..” you turn your attention to her. “H-h-how did you do that?” she says quietly.

You think for a second, you’re not really sure what she meant. No one has ever commented on my spiking before apart from coaches. “Um I don’t know, I just hit it?” you shrug.

“BUT IT WAS TOTALLY DIFFERENT! YOUR APPROACH, YOUR JUMP, YOUR SWING, EVERYTHING! IT'S LIKE YOU WERE WERE ONE THOSE COOL PROFESSIONALS THAT GO WHOOSH AND BAM!”

You glance at the girl again, somewhat perplexed by her statement. You brush off her comment, walking back to the other side of the court to find all of the players staring at you with their jaws practically on the floor. The libero and other second-year students came up to you and began eagerly examining you, the latter squeezing your face and lifting your arms as the other pokes at your legs and back, causing you to slightly wince.

“Hmm, she isn’t a robot and seems to be ticklish so I think she’s real” the taller second year stated, staring you dead in the eyes. The libero quickly moved to Tohru, further inspecting her as well. “Are you two some sort of aliens or something?” the pair ponders.

You and Tohru exchange a glance and she begins to giggle. “Of course we aren’t! Well, maybe L/N is” she jokes, rubbing the back of her neck as you scoff and walk away from the group, approaching the captain.

She looks at you almost in relief. “L/N! I was just about to ask, do you want to try setting for a bit? Chizuru said you’d be great at setting so I figured I’d let you try it out!” she suggests excitedly, though you can tell it’s only because she’s tired of setting. You nod as she hands you the ball in her hands.

As the girls line back up, you quickly evaluate the court and everyone’s heights. You made sure to watch each individual's jumping patterns earlier so you could formulate perfect sets from them. Most of the upperclassmen had a pretty standard approach in terms of timing, reach, and power. Chizuru, being on the taller end, has a shorter approach and a longer reach, making a shorter but higher set more catered towards her skills. Tohru, however, has a quick approach and high jump but can change her approach depending on the set. Her hitting skills compare to college-level players and she’s only a first year. You’ve played with girls at her skill level and thinking about it almost excites you.

As the drill continues, you set each individual a perfect set, causing even the less talented players to hit powerful spikes. They looked at their own hands in shock. The sudden increase in skill makes the mood grow within seconds. The girls are all cheering for one another and themselves. Tohru is ecstatic, practically jumping off the walls in joy. After a few rounds, the captain stops the drill and ushers everyone to get some water. You aren’t tired at all, so you pick up the leftover balls off the ground. On the sidelines, all the girls were baffled by how well they were hitting as Tohru chimed in.

“L/N really is amazing huh?” she gushed. “In all the years I’ve played, I’ve had some amazing teammates. But she is the best player I’ve ever seen! Her serving is amazing and probably better than we’ve already seen, her receives are almost perfect. Her hitting is even better than mine, probably my brothers too and he’s in the top three in the whole country!” she continues almost fangirling. She then looks at the upperclassmen. “And her setting is unreal! She made us all way better. It’s like she’s tossing it to the perfect spot to hit it. The spot where we have the most accuracy and power. It’s amazing…” the first year, now in tears, praises. The others nod in agreement as Chizuru and the captain exchange smiles.

As you walk over, the girls all stare at you with shining eyes. With a second, Tohru and the second year pair are tackling you to the ground. You stare at them confused “Eh? What now?”. The three look up at you then begin what appears as praying. You get up and shake them off utterly confused. ‘ _What the hell is their deal?_ ’ you wonder scratching your head, leaving Chizuru, Michimiya, and the other members all begin dying of laughter.

\---

3RD POV: MEANWHILE

The two third-year boys take a seat at the stands overlooking the court. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to leave the others on their own?” Sugawara asks with a worried tone.

“They’ll be fine. I told Ennoshita to keep them in check and that if they cause any trouble that they’ll have to do 100 serves tomorrow morning” Daichi responds with a smirk on his face.

“You know you’re pretty scary sometimes” the gray-haired boy laughs.

“Yeah well someone has to whip those kids into shape,” the captain says proudly. “Anyways, what do you think of the first years?”

“Hmm well, the short one with the brown hair, she’s pretty good. Her hits are super powerful, she must’ve been an ace at her middle school. Maybe here as well” Suga responds briefly, though she isn't the first year on his mind. “Hey Daichi, what do you think Chizuru meant earlier? When she said not to worry about L/N? And how she is probably better than anyone at this school?” he questions.

“I don’t know. I think they did serving and receiving before we got here so who knows how good her or the other first-year are, and she hasn’t hit anything yet. But she seems to have some sort of aura” Daichi answers.

“What do you mean an aura? I mean sure she is pretty cold and doesn’t really show emotions and all but-“

“I mean her presence on the court. She just looks so calm and collected. And the way the players are interacting with her, especially Michimiya and the other first-year are kind of strange. I mean she usually is really bubbly and uplifting towards the other girls, but around L/N she seems nervous or maybe confused, like she’s trying to figure her out. It’s also apparent the other first-year admires her, even though she is already extremely talented,” the captain observes. Suga nods in response, turning both their attention back to the court.

They suddenly see the two first years talking, the brunette dragging the other to the hitting line. Within a minute, the quiet blonde is up to hit. As she begins to approach, Chizuru calls out to her as if she were giving her an order leaving the captain and other players confused. The girl begins her unusual approach, spiking the ball with so much power, speed, and accuracy, it’s as if an Olympian hit it themselves. The pair stared in shock, along with all the other girls. Moments later the two first years were being prayed at by the second year duo.

“What the hell was that?” the boys said in unison.

“That hit was better than Asahi’s, or even Ushijima’s!” one spouted.

“H-her approach, it was four-steps too. I’ve never seen that before. And her jump was so high,”

“I doubt I could receive that, or even Nishinoya.”

The duo stared completely baffled at the girl. She didn’t even have a reaction. No celebration or even a smile, it’s as if she didn’t do anything. She went to retrieve her ball before being bombarded by the others.

“If I could hit like that, I would be so excited. But she doesn’t even seem to realize how good that was?” Suga said, his tone becoming more concerned.

“Seriously, wait till Hinata sees this” the captain sighs. The girl in question, now taking the female captain's place as the setter.

“Wait, she’s setting? She spikes like that and is a setter?”

Daichi shrugs in response.

The girl sets perfect sets for everyone. It’s as if she’s setting it to the perfect spot for them to hit it, causing all the others to hit much better than before. Her face was perfectly calm, without an ounce of worry or question. She’s not even breaking a sweat, despite being in a long sleeve.

“Her sets. They’re like Kageyama’s, maybe even better” Daichi observes.

“They’re like Oikawa’s as well. They’re extremely accurate but also tailored to each player. It’s like they all got five times better once she started setting” Suga added in complete amazement.

“I guess that’s what Chizuru meant. She’s amazing” Daichi stated, looking at his teammate. The two get up and head down from the stands, processing what they just saw. ‘Who is this girl?’ they both wondered.


End file.
